Turkish state institutions are set to provide full support to local electric car production as Turkey’s science agency will provide 100 percent in research aid while the Science Ministry is promising to buy 200 electric cars over five years.

“Turkey will make a name for itself with domestic electric car production and development,” Turkish Science, Industry and Technology Minister Nihat Ergün has said, adding that Turkey did not want to miss the opportunity to have a say in the electric car sector, as it has lost out before in the fossil fuel vehicle technology sector.

The news about electric car production follows on the heels of a recently introduced revision to provide incentives to the automotive sector in general.

The Scientific and Technical Research Council of Turkey (TÜBİTAK) will grant 100 percent in research and development support for electric car producers, Ergün said, adding that this endeavor was expected to result in a collaboration of universities, as well as private and public sector players.

The ministry is also promising to buy 200 electric cars in five years.

The first step in Turkey’s program to become a player in the electric car market will be the production of a critical section of the electric car domestically, guided by universities and private and government research and development institutions.

The design of the vehicles, as well as the development of the batteries, electric motors and vehicle control systems, will be conducted in the first stage. The domestic electric car will be produced by production bodies later by putting these locally produced sections together, Ergün said.

The project proposals, which need to be developed domestically to a maximum level, are expected to be presented to TÜBİTAK by May 24.

The electric cars to be developed should be suitable for popular inner-city utilization or public transport, driven by electricity and be at least four-wheeled land road vehicles, but the classification of the vehicles will be done by TÜBİTAK regarding domestic and foreign market competition conditions.